The Confession
by avaya29
Summary: Cedric tries to confess to Sofia.


Disclaimer: Not my characters.

Sofia knocked on Cedric's door and waited. There was only silence.

She knocked again, but still there was nothing.

'Cedric?' No response. She rattled the handle, but the door was locked.

She was about to leave when Wormwood called out from behind the door.

'Don't let him fool you. He's in here, moping as usual.'

'Oh do be quiet, Wormy,' said a familiar irritable voice.

'Cedric?' Sofia knocked again. 'I know you're in there!'

There was a heavy sigh from behind the door. 'Did it ever occur to you that perhaps I just want to be left in peace?'

Sofia smiled and simply opened the door by magic.

Cedric was sitting on the bottom step of his staircase with his knees drawn up and his arms wrapped around his legs. With a listless flick of his wand he closed the door behind her.

Wormwood flapped lazily off his perch. 'Do try to talk some sense into him,' he said as he circled the room. 'He's been insufferable for weeks.'

He glided out of the window. Cedric watched dully as he disappeared. Then he leant back in forced relaxation.

'Well, since you're obviously _not_ going to leave me in peace, you might as well tell me what you want.' It was Cedric's usual drawl… but brittle, forced.

Sofia sat down on the step above him. Their heads were level.

Cedric instantly stood up and began to pace.

'I want you to tell me why you've been avoiding me,' said Sofia. 'Ever since James and Amber's seventeenth. You've hardly stepped out of this room. You've cancelled most of my lessons and when you haven't you've barely said a word to me.'

'I have not been avoiding you! I have merely been… busy.'

Sofia looked around the workshop. There was a thin layer of dust on the benches. The glassware was still in the same position it had been in for weeks. There was no fresh smell of magic in the air. 'Busy doing what?'

'Thinking.'

Sofia pursued him. 'About what?'

Cedric strode to the window. 'Never you mind.'

'Is it something I can help with?'

Cedric closed his eyes and visibly wilted, his hands on the windowsill. 'No.'

'Are you sure? We all need a friend to help us sometimes.'

'No, Princess, I do not need a friend to help me. Now please leave me in peace!'

'OK, Mister Cedric.' Sofia turned to go.

Cedric turned his head. His face looked dismayed. ' _Mister_ Cedric?'

Sofia stopped at the door. 'Please, Cedric, just tell me what's wrong so I can help you!'

Cedric sighed, and sat back down on the step. 'Oh, very well then. But I warn you, you won't like it.'

'Try me.' Sofia sat down on the step above, and this time he did not get up.

'Well,' we were preparing the enchanted garden light show for the birthday party, and _you_ messed up the potions.'

Sofia's hands flew to her mouth. 'Is that what this is about? Are you still mad at me?'

'I thought it was my mistake, but you told me what had happened. You shouldn't hide it when you've done something wrong, you said. It always makes things worse, you said.'

There was a pause. 'Sofia, I've been hiding something from you. For years. And if I tell you, it will change how you think of me.'

Sofia caught his hands. His gloves felt rough, and his fingertips warm. 'No it won't,' she said. 'I promise.'

Cedric was silent for a long time. He pulled his hands free and dropped them into his lap.

'I– ' He looked down.

He rubbed each of his fingers in turn with the fingers of the other hand. He folded his hands, clasped them, unclasped them.

'I wanted–'

Rub. Rub. Rub. Clasp, unclasp.

'Your amulet. I- I tried to take it for myself.'

Fold. Unfold. Rub.

'I lied to you and I tricked you and I betrayed you. Over and over.'

'I know.'

The rubbing stopped. 'You _know_?'

'Well, it was kind of obvious.'

Cedric sat up straight and stared at her. 'It was _obvious_? You mean you knew _all along_?'

'Well, not straight away. I got suspicious when you seemed so desperate to use it in that puppet show – you remember, when Ruby and Jade came over for their first sleepover? And then when you were teaching me magic, I found the sleeping spell in the spell book – the one you told me was a dancing spell. So I worked it out. And after that I knew what you were up to and I just kept my eyes open.'

'But– but if you knew, then why did you still come for lessons? And go out alone with me? And– and– why didn't you tell anyone?'

'Because I wanted to _help_ you!'

Sofia put a hand on his shoulder. 'I remember what it was like for you when I first arrived. I remember how they treated you. Even a good kind man like my father. I remember how scared you were, the way you were cross with yourself every time anything went wrong. I knew why you wanted the amulet and why you felt you needed more power. So I thought if I could just _show_ you that you were good enough on your own, then… If- if I'd told anyone they'd have sent you away, or jailed you or something. And then you'd never have learnt how good you could be. And I'd never…' She dropped her hand, bit her lip.

'Besides,' she added, 'I knew you didn't mean it.'

'Didn't mean it? Of course I _meant_ it! I wanted that amulet!'

'If you'd wanted it that badly, you could have taken it easily. You're too intelligent to be outsmarted by a child that many times. And once it stopped giving curses, you could have paralysed me with a potion. Or knocked me out with a blast of magic. Or poisoned me. Or–'

' _No_!' Cedric said in a low intense voice. He drew back from her and turned away. 'I did think about it, you know,' he said with forced calm. 'That's the worst of it. I thought about it and I planned it. But every time, I– I could never…'

'No. You never could.' Sofia smiled at the back of his neck.

'And I… came to realise that there was no way of taking the amulet from you, or even taking power by other means, that would not cause you pain in some way. I wanted… I didn't want to do it any more if it would hurt you and…'

There was a long pause. Sofia waited.

'…and d-destroy our– our… our friendship. Sofia, I am so _sorry_!' He drew a deep breath and looked straight at her. 'M-maybe one day you might permit me to try to earn… your forgiveness?'

There was no fruitiness in his voice, no false honey, no sarcastic drawl. This was Cedric at his most sincere, his most vulnerable.

Sofia shook her head. 'No, Cedric.'

Cedric sagged.

'Forgiveness isn't something you earn, Cedric.' Sofia reached her arm around his back and drew his head onto her breast. 'It can only be a gift.'

She stroked his head. 'I forgave you a long time ago,' she whispered. 'I was just waiting for you to tell me.'

Cedric crumpled into her and she held him tight as he began to sob – big, ragged gasps that shook his whole body.

After a while he sniffed and she dug a handkerchief out of the folds of her skirt. He blew his nose, noisily. 'I'm sorry,' he whispered.

She pulled him back to herself. He closed his eyes, breath still shaking.

'It's all right. It's all right, Cedric,' she murmured, stroking his head.

'It's all right. I love you.'

Cedric stiffened and sat up. 'What did you say?'

Sofia dropped her arms. There was a damp stain on the front of her dress. 'I'm sorry. That– that just kind of slipped out.'

Cedric stood up, wiped his nose and began to walk away.

'But… it's true,' she said to his back.

'You _love_ me?' He turned and stared at her. She nodded, clenching her hands in her lap.

'You love _me_?' An unbelieving smile was growing on his face.

'Uh-huh,' she grinned back at him.

Then he suddenly dropped his head. Grey locks and black ones flopped over his face. 'I don't deserve this…' he whispered.

'Well, you've got it,' she said, standing and spreading her hands.

Cedric just shook his head.

'What?'

'Well, you're a princess, and I'm just a, a…'

'A-mazing, remember? Don't you ever forget it.' She wagged her finger at him and he began to smile. 'Besides,' she added, 'my father married a cobbler, and no-one cares.'

'But you're still only sixteen, and I'm twice your age!'

Sofia folded her arms. 'And how old was your mother when she married your father?'

Cedric sighed. 'Seventeen. And he was forty-one. I suppose you have a point.'

'So…?' she said eagerly.

Cedric shook his head. 'It still wouldn't work. You'd be far too irritatingly cheerful all the time.'

Sofia grinned and grabbed his hands. 'And you'd be sarcastic at me.'

He grinned back at her. 'And you'd insist on doing things your way and you'd be right most of the time.'

She swung their joined hands down and stepped up to him. 'And you'd get cross and disappear in a puff of green smoke while I was trying to tell you I was right.'

He wriggled his hands free and put his arms round her. 'And you'd track me down and not let me go until I agreed with you.'

She nestled into his chest. She could hear his heart beating. 'And you'd say "Merlin's mushrooms!" and complain about me to Wormwood.'

He rested his cheek on her head. Her hair was soft, and smelt of lilies.

There was a whirring of wings, and they stepped apart as Wormwood alighted on the windowsill.

'She loves me, Wormy!' Cedric declared joyously, throwing his arms wide, and his voice was rich and fruity again. 'It's all right! She loves me!'

' _This_ was your solution?' grumbled Wormwood, as Cedric pulled Sofia back into his arms. 'I can already see that this going to be much worse than the moping.' He spread his wings and flew off again.

Sofia laughed.

'What did he say?' asked Cedric.

'He said he preferred it when you were miserable,' grinned Sofia.

Cedric rushed to the window. 'Wormwood!' he yelled. 'Come back here, you treacherous bag of feathers! I'll make _you_ miserable! _Wormwood_!'

He turned back to Sofia and shook his head. 'I don't deserve this.'

Sofia opened her arms to him and he stepped into them.


End file.
